Backlash
For a moment I held both arms high, like a boxer who'd just taken a title fight.
I had no idea where that strength had come from.
Of course, it only lasted a second.
I collapsed flat on my back right after.
"Hah. Hah. Hah."
I didn't even have the strength to stand. It felt like I'd burned through every last drop of energy. Not blacking out was an achievement in itself.
"Hah. Hah. Hah."
Breathing hard, I looked to the side.
There was Cheonma, already settled in the lotus position, circulating her energy.
She's incredible, all right.
That willpower was absurd. No wonder she'd become the Heavenly Demon. Even just watching her, I felt respect.
I lay there a while, then forced myself upright and settled into the lotus position myself.
Dense inner energy coiled through my body.
Huh?
Something was different.
It felt like my inner energy was moving faster than usual.
Something's changed.
The energy wrapped around me even faster. I could feel a movement that was both swifter and more powerful.
I opened my eyes.
Flash.
Everything in front of me looked sharp and clear—like the resolution had been cranked all the way up.
"Your Dansingyeol has risen to four-star. An absurd rate of progress."
"Really?"
I'd only been learning martial arts for about three weeks. And now I was at four-star Dansingyeol. If the people of Murim heard that, they'd cough blood cursing me.
More than that, my body felt incredibly light.
It was amazing.
I felt like I could fly. Exaggerating a little, I felt like I'd turned into a feather.
"…So that's why you came up with me?"
"Yes. I sensed it would help with your martial training."
"Yeah. It definitely helped."
I'd tested the limits of my willpower—and overcome them. That experience was proving a considerable help to my martial arts as well.
Anyway, this wasn't the time for that.
I stood up and looked toward one spot.
A massive golden bell came into view.
Ringing that bell would clear this dungeon.
"Let's go."
"Yes."
The closer I got to the bell, the more regret I felt.
How much would that sell for if I pried it off?
Probably enough to live off for the rest of my life, right?
Unfortunately, the bell couldn't be damaged. Some unknown rule seemed to prevent it. Even the Flame Emperor had tried melting it with his scorching flames and failed.
I swallowed my regret and grabbed the striker meant for ringing the bell. Hitting it with this would be the end.
Having come this far, I wanted to hit it with everything I had.
So I channeled my inner energy and brought the striker down with maximum force.
DEEEEEEEENG—!!
DEEEEEEEENG—!!
A massive sound spread in every direction.
It was strangely beautiful. My heart eased on its own.
Then the space around us began to warp.
I prepared to return to Earth.
But then—
"Hmm. Shall I try?"
Suddenly Cheonma's hand glowed black.
Not just black. It was as if pitch-black darkness itself had settled on her hand.
In that state, her hand moved.
Flash—!
I closed my eyes for a moment.
When I opened them, I saw startled soldiers. We were back on Earth.
"C-Call a doctor!"
"A-Are you all right?!"
Come to think of it, I was covered in blood again. No wonder they were panicking.
I spoke quickly.
"I'm fine. This is monster blood. Nothing to worry about."
"Ah! Is that so? Thank goodness."
Genuine relief was written all over the commander's and soldiers' faces. They really had been worried about me.
Hmm, is this the dignity of an S-rank?
I wasn't officially S-rank yet. But most of the public already treated me as one.
"More importantly, I'd like to head up right away. Could you prepare the paperwork?"
"Yes, sir!"
The commander stepped away briefly to prepare the documents.
That was when Cheonma held something out to me.
"You worked hard today. This is my gift."
"Huh?"
I looked at her hand.
And I was stunned.
"This is—?!"
In Cheonma's hand was a gold bar gleaming with golden light.
Technically, it wasn't a gold bar.
"You cut this off?"
"Yes."
She'd sliced off a piece of that massive golden bell from earlier.
I never imagined Cheonma could do what even the Flame Emperor couldn't.
No wonder she thinks she's the strongest.
There was a reason for that.
Anyway, I was thrilled. I'd thought I was leaving empty-handed this time, but I'd scored something huge. A smile spread across my face on its own.
If I sell this, that's easily two hundred million…
Without thinking, I threw my arms around Cheonma.
Whump—!
"Mm!"
I felt the full press of her enormous chest.
But right now, joy came first. So I held on for a long while.
"Thank you!"
"Th-Th-That's… I-It's nothing."
Oddly, Cheonma was stammering.
I let go and looked at her, then made an apologetic face.
"Ah, sorry. I got blood on you."
"I-It's fine."
I'd forgotten I was covered in blood when I hugged her. So her clothes were soaked with it too.
But there wasn't the slightest hint of dislike on Cheonma's face.
If anything, she seemed strangely pleased.
"Glad you're okay with it. All right, let's go."
"Yes."
Just then the commander returned with the paperwork. I quickly finished filling it out and headed back up.
"Sinhyeok-nim!!"
"You're back?!"
"Did you clear the dungeon alone again?!"
"Are you hurt?!"
The moment I emerged, a barrage of questions from reporters poured down on me.
I glanced around.
Unfortunately, Park Jincheon from the Superhuman Research Institute was nowhere to be seen. Must have gone home for the day.
"Hmm, I'm not hurt. Still, thank you for your concern."
I held a modest press conference. I wasn't as exhausted as last time.
But I didn't drop any major spoilers.
"Which dungeon was it?!"
"Hmm, that's a secret."
Premium info like that belonged on my NewTube channel. I wasn't about to hand it out for free.
Anyway, after wrapping up the press conference reasonably, I headed home.
Maybe because I'd done the press conference, the reporters let me go without a fuss.
"Let's go."
"Yes."
Once home, I washed up right away. Then I collapsed into bed.
Even with the energy circulation, I hadn't slept in nearly two days.
Sleep hit me almost immediately.
Gold bar… jackpot.
Even so, I clutched the gold bar tightly in my hand.
Since things had turned out this way, I hoped I'd dream of drowning in gold bars.
The next day arrived.
Every time I came back from a dungeon, the world usually went crazy.
But not this time. Everything was just like usual.
"Hmm, nothing special."
Ah—there was one minor issue, though.
A video uploaded by Park Jincheon of the Superhuman Research Institute.
Looks like my taunting before entering the dungeon really pissed him off. In that short time, Park Jincheon had uploaded a rage video.
It's all because Cheonma will leave soon. And I've brought the proof.
He has proof?
I kept watching, half in disbelief.
The video showed footage from when Cheonma first appeared.
Listen carefully to what Cheonma says here.
Soon Cheonma's mouth opened on screen.
She spoke in that familiar voice I always heard.
The video froze instantly. Then Park Jincheon's excited voice came through.
See?! Everyone was so shocked by Cheonma's appearance that they missed this part! Cheonma clearly said it had been ten years. What does that mean? Exactly. It means the two of them had met before!
Huh. Yeah. That was a thing.
At the time, Cheonma's appearance had been so shocking that everyone glossed over it. Plus most people had only been interested in her looks.
But it never became an issue ten years ago. Why? Because Cheonma vanished almost immediately. And then she reappeared after ten years!
Park Jincheon explained, spittle flying. His face was full of excitement.
You all know what this means, right? Yes—Cheonma could disappear at any time. And then she might not show up again for ten years, twenty years—or even for the rest of her life! You need to understand that!
Park Jincheon stayed worked up to the very end, then wrapped the video.
I checked the comments.
I was pretty curious how people were reacting.
I watched the comments with a faintly surprised expression. Unexpectedly, there were quite a few defending me or roasting the Superhuman Research Institute.
This was clearly the Superhuman Research Institute's own NewTube channel. And yet this was the reaction.
Of course, the comments defending me or attacking the Superhuman Research Institute were vanishing in real time. They were clearly moderating.
But new ones were spawning faster than they could delete them.
And I had a pretty good idea why.
He really thinks he's some kind of god.
I'd been deliberately media-friendly for a while now. I'd done a lot of interviews that deliberately stoked national pride.
As a result, every outlet had been singing my praises.
Naturally, I'd earned a huge amount of public support.
In short, my standing and reputation were nothing like they had been when Cheonma first appeared.
And that was the state of things when the Superhuman Research Institute decided to take a shot at me.
Of course they were catching backlash.